Analysis of Consumer Perceptions and Preferences of Store Brands Versus National Brands: An Exploratory Study in an Emerging Market

摘要

Store brands play an important role in retail strategy, but little recent research has examined the factors assumed to influence the selection of store brands in emerging markets of developing nations. This exploratory study investigates Turkish consumers' perceptions and preferences of store brands of dairy products. Using personal interviews, data for the study are collected from consumers shopping in different supermarkets in the capital city of Turkey. The most striking finding of this study was that Turkish consumers have strong preferences toward national brands across all factors of purchase reasons investigated. Findings indicate that national brands were perceived as high in quality, distributed widely, healthy, fresh, and offering more product choices, whereas store brands were perceived as low-priced alternatives. Also, habitual buying and brand image played important roles in their purchase decisions. The results of the study show that there are two distinct store brand preference segments among Turkish consumers, which were nicknamed “Product Attribute Sensitive” and “Price Sensitive,” and these segments differed in terms of demographics and socioeconomic profiles as well as the reasons for purchase. Managerial and research implications are discussed.